The common goldenback or flameback is found in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In Singapore, the common flameback is often heard and seen in gardens, kampong, wooded areas, mangroves and plantations of rubber and coconut. A loud and sharp call is often uttered as it flies off its vertical perch on a tree. These birds excavate nesting holes about 3 to 10 m above the ground, usually in a dead coconut palm.